Officer And Suspect Draw On Each Other In Close-Range Gunfight

Sergeant Gabriel Green and officer Kaylynn Griffin apprehended a suspect in a Palestine, TX Applebees on May 31st.

As the officers escorted the suspect out of the restaurant, he pulls a handgun from his pocket and and aims at officers.

After engaging and killing the suspect, it was found that he only had a BB gun, which looked exactly like a 9mm pistol. This may have been a case of suicide by cop, or he could have been hoping it would give him a chance to create some space so that he could run.

Bushey can be seen drawing what appears to be a handgun toward Officer Griffin. Sergeant Green immediately opened fire on the suspect.

“It’s very unfortunate that the police officers were put in this position,” Palestine Police Captain James Muniz said Tuesday. “They felt that they had no choice but to defend themselves at that time.”

Muniz praised the actions Green and Griffin took that night. He said any questions over the importance of body cameras were wiped away in the nine seconds it took for a theft investigation to turn into an officer-involved shooting.

“[It’s important] to have a real personal look at exactly what an officer sees in real time and how quick things happen,” he said.

Bushey’s handgun turned out to be a pellet gun following a full investigation. It was styled to look like a 9mm handgun.